Daily positivity rate down to 5.19%

New Delhi: The positivity rate of COVID-19 cases in Delhi came down to 5.19 per cent on Friday with 2,920 out of 56,258 samples testing positive in the last 24 hours.

The national Capital recorded 37 COVID-19 fatalities on Friday as the toll climbed to 5,438, while the tally went over 2.85 lakh.

On September 29, 48 deaths were reported, the highest number of fatalities recorded in a day since July 16, when the city saw 58 fatalities.

The fresh cases reported on Friday came out of the 56,258 tests conducted the previous day.

Thirty-seven new fatalities have been recorded, taking the death toll to 5,438, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi Health Department.

The active cases tally on Friday stood at 26,450.

The bulletin said the total number of cases has climbed to 2,85,672.

Meanwhile, after showing a gradual decline in the last week of September, the number of COVID-19 patients under home quarantine in Delhi has risen in October, according to official data.

The number of COVID-19 patients under home isolation was 19,213 on September 21 and 18,464 the next day.

The figure fell further to 17,834 on September 23, when the number of containment zones stood at 1,987.

The cases under home isolation, however, showed a rising trend on September 24 (17,995) and September 25 (18,096).

From September 26-30, the cases of home isolation fell gradually for five consecutive days until October 1, when the count rose to 15,899 and containment zones stood at 2,616.

The number of home isolation cases and the containment zones during September 26-28 in that order were: 17,600 (2231); 17,291 (2380); 16679 (2465); 16049 (2505); and 15657 (2570), according to official data.

The national Capital recorded 40 COVID-19 fatalities on Thursday, taking the death toll to 5,401, while 3,037 fresh cases pushed the tally to over 2.82 lakh, authorities said.

On September 29, the city reported 48 deaths, the highest number of fatalities in a day since July 16, when the figure stood at 58.

On September 26, Delhi recorded 46 COVID-19 deaths, 42 the next day and 37 on September 28. On September 30, the death count stood at 41.

On the fall recorded in home isolation cases, experts had earlier said that the decline could have been due to patients getting better and completing their home isolation period or some patients at home being transferred to COVID-19 care centres.

The Delhi government had been laying a lot of emphasis on home isolation, especially for asymptomatic patients as part of its COVID-19 management strategy in the past several months.